By Ma Wenying. Private educational institutions are reaching a new level of development, which requires a revised set of government policies and rules, national political advisers said.
There are over 2,300 colleges and universities around China, and nearly one-third of them are private educational institutions, Yang Wen, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the chairwoman of Shandong Yingcai College board of directors, said in an interview with China Daily.
"Since the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Promotion of Privately-run Schools took effect in 2003, great changes have taken place in the sector and many articles in the law are no longer compatible with the current situation, some are even hindering the development of private educational institutions," Yang said. Read more...

By choosing to study abroad in Singapore, international students have an opportunity to not only be plugged into an education system but also be a part of a global community.
International students can choose an exchange experience with Singapore's public universities such as National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) or Singapore Management University (SMU) on a tuition-waiver basis.
For more information on eligibility and application for exchange programmes, please visit the following institutions' websites:
Nanyang Technological University (NTU), a global university founded on science and technology. It nurtures creative and entrepreneurial leaders through a broad education in diverse disciplines.
National University of Singapore (NUS), a leading world university, committed to delivering quality education. It nurtures global citizens, and undertakes high impact research that adds to the body of knowledge worldwide. Read more...

By Palash R. Ghosh. Despite India's status as a rising global economic power and the producer of many of the world’s best scientific minds, its universities apparently leave something to be desired.
According to The (London) Times Higher Education World University Rankings for Asia in 2012-2013, only three Indian institutions appeared on the list of the top 57 Asian universities -- Indian Institute of Technology, in Kharagpur (No. 28); Indian Institute of Technology, in Mumbai (34), and Indian Institute of Technology, in Roorkee (53). In contrast, Japan scored 13 of the top 57, including the University of Tokyo, which took the top spot in Asia. Read more...

By Seif Abdelghaffar. A bill introduced by a California state senator early in February would impose oil taxes to fund public higher education. Introduced by Sen. Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, SB 241 would allow the state Department of Conservation to administer a 9.9 percent oil severance tax on companies extracting oil in California. According to Senator Evans’ communications director Teala Schaff, 93 percent of the tax revenues would be allocated to public higher education while 7 percent would go toward renovating state parks.
“California doesn’t tax on oil, so it is a fairness issue because other states have oil taxes, and if people take something from the state through oil, this is a way for us to give something back to the state,” Shaff said. Read more...

By Jiang Yabin. The number of students who went to study abroad through government-sanctioned agencies last year fell 20 percent year-on-year to 10,442, even as the total number of students studying overseas continued to rise, local media reported Thursday.
The 15 local agencies with Ministry of Education approval attracted fewer clients last year as more resources to help students win admission to overseas universities have emerged and a greater number of unauthorized agencies have crowded into the market.
The agencies help students choose a suitable university to attend and then help guide them through the application process, said Cai Jun, a teacher from Shinyway Education, one of the government-approved agencies.
The agencies charge anywhere from 20,000 yuan ($3,216) to 100,000 yuan per client, according to a report in the Shanghai Evening Post. Read more...

By Ki Mae Heussner. Barely a year into their existence, massive open online course (MOOC) providers, like Coursera EdX and Udacity, are starting to offer certificates that can be put toward university credit. But are full MOOC degrees on the horizon?
When asked that question by New York Times education reporter Laura Pappano on stage at the SXSWedu education technology conference in Austin Wednesday, Coursera co-founder Andrew Ng gave the diplomatic reply:
“Coursera isn’t a university. We don’t offer degrees of academic credit. We’re a humble hosting platform.”
To which Anant Agarwal, president of the nonprofit EdX, quipped: “a very politically correct answer” (drawing a round of laughter from the audience). Read more...

Par Gilles Marchand. Immatures, individualistes, impatients… Le rapport des jeunes au monde du travail alimente depuis plusieurs années une vision assez peu flatteuse. Une vision aujourd’hui ébranlée par la dernière édition de l’Observatoire du travail.
On ne compte plus les études qui s’attachent à décrypter la génération Y, ses attentes et ses perceptions, son rapport au monde du travail. Au risque d’en dresser un portrait-robot figé et plutôt négatif. La 21e édition de l’Observatoire du travail BPI Group/BVA/L’Express, qui s’est intéressée à ce sujet incontournable, révèle pourtant son lot de surprises, et notamment un décalage entre les attentes des jeunes et la perception que leurs aînés en ont.
Le regard porté par les plus de 30 ans sur la jeune génération est plutôt sévère, la jugeant immature (pour 35 % d’entre eux), individualiste (34%) et paresseuse (26%). Ce qui ne les empêche pas de considérer les jeunes comme volontaires (26%) ambitieux (23%) et motivés (23%)! Des jugements ambivalents, qui indiquent à quel point la génération Y échappe à une définition claire et précise. Au risque de fausser la perception qu’elle dégage: seulement 19% des jeunes considèrent la stabilité de leur emploi comme une priorité, alors que plus d’un tiers de leurs aînés pensent que ce sujet est essentiel à leurs yeux. Suite de l'article...

By Zoë Schlanger. In November of last year, Tisch Asia’s 158 students gathered for an emergency meeting. After an email broke the news the night before, NYU administrators flew to Singapore from New York to explain that the school would cease to exist by 2015. It had fallen on hard times. NYU owed Singapore upwards of $9 million. Nothing could be done. A photographer at the meeting began snapping images of the moments that followed, capturing faces marked by shock, disappointment, and disbelief. The campus had been mired in confusion and a sense of precariousness for some time. Almost exactly a year before, in November 2011, Tisch Asia was rocked by the removal of Pari Shirazi, the founder and president of the program. Shirazi was fired for alleged misuse of private funds and embezzlement, charges which she is now fighting in a lawsuit against NYU. Read more...